The Book Proposal lured me in with a gorgeous cover. The premise follows Gracie, a struggling writer who drunkenly emails a former high school crush. When she receives a reply, she is initially horrified and then strikes up a correspondence with him. As they build a connection, Gracie begins to get ideas for a story once again…but what if the story doesn’t belong to her? 

While I loved the premise, I struggled with the execution of it. I found it difficult to connect with Colin and Gracie, as at times they could be pretty uncompelling. Colin’s dialogue and inner thoughts felt cringey, making it difficult to hope for his happiness. I also disliked some of his inner musings about women. 

When conflicts arose, I felt the second-hand embarrassment of being trapped in a public location and being forced to bear witness to an argument. While this wasn’t my cup of tea, I think there are readers who will love the pure shenanigans Gracie gets up to as she fights through writer’s block and strives for her happiness. 

Thank you to KJ Micciche, Sourcebooks Casablanca, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.